March 2010

We would consider this a small crowd. The first year of Wednesday night Community Nights at the Sitzmann Hall Albertus Magnus Chapel have been quite the success. We have had anywhere from 60-80 people gathered comfortably close for mass,…

We would consider this a small crowd.
The first year of Wednesday night Community Nights at the Sitzmann Hall Albertus Magnus Chapel have been quite the success. We have had anywhere from 60-80 people gathered comfortably close for mass, discussion, and a delicious Italian-style pasta dinner. It is a beautiful witness to the wonderful Catholic Studies community we all know and love! All are welcome!

Posted by Luke, UST Senior, Catholic Studies and Philosophy
I started playing the guitar a lot when I was about thirteen. I would just come home from school and play a bit and then go do something else. A big part of the reason I started playing was because I would get bored and it was something else to do. The first songs I learned, that were the most impactful, were the blues riff I played at the concert, minus the words, and the song “Dust in the wind.” Once I learned a bit about finger style playing I started developing my own style. It really wasn’t until the summer before my senior year that I started using the guitar as a way to pray. I have found playing for that reason to be much better.
I thought the concert last weekend (February 26th) was a lot of fun. I was preparing to be more nervous and unfocused than I was, but I really felt a calmness and peace come over me after the first song that I can only attribute to the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, the crowd of 450was a blast and I was very happy to see how easily they laughed, I think that also helped me relax. I am used to playing to crowds that don’t clap or make comments between songs, so that would have been fine too.

Posted by Vanessa, UST Senior, Catholic Studies and Communications and Journalism
If you major in both Catholic Studies and Communications and Journalism, what kind of career will you end up in? The options are seemingly limited. Perhaps you will find yourself writing for your local diocesan newspaper or doing advertising campaigns on behalf of EWTN. You might even declare your final vows and go on to publish your convent’s monthly newsletter. Or, is it actually possible that combining Catholic Studies and Communications and Journalism might open doors rather than close them?
Although I never intended to take part in the Catholic Studies program as a segue into an explicitly Catholic career, most people who are unfamiliar with the program tend to assume as much. My undergraduate experience in Catholic Studies has been a testament to the importance of faith in all areas and situations of life. Our belief in God should not be an aspect of ourselves separate from the others. Above all else, it should be the detail of our being that is most infiltrated throughout the rest: “I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your loving kindness and Your truth” (Psalm 40:10).
Upon graduation this coming May, I hope to find a job in the area of Communications. My focus has been in Visual Communication, and I would be absolutely thrilled if I could one day be a Graphic Designer. This career is not obviously linked to faith, but it is if I choose to make it so! Because of the Catholic Studies Department and its faculty, I will be able to move ahead into the workplace, confidently taking Christ with me. My daily prayer is that I might reflect Christ to all I encounter and – regardless of whether an environment be religious or secular – be a constant witness to his perfect love.